Heartstrings In Knots
by TobiasHawk1
Summary: Ren and Nora enter a rather knotty relationship. R&R and remember, Zone-tan watches you fap!


There were a myriad of things a man could do with a length of rope and a few knots. Whether it be a for lasso to capture cattle, or tied in a ladder to climb a tree, rope had always been a useful item for individuals who were familiar with it. I'd made sure to become more than adept with the material from a young age, and practiced several forms of knots and twists since I was a child. Fisherman's knots and bowlines and butterflies and scaffolds, one would never know if and when the knowledge would come in handy on the battlefield.

"Watcha doooin," Nora would ask as she leaned against me, hugging me from behind while her lips tickled the back of my neck. It'd always been _difficult_ to keep focus when she was around, but not after long, my fingers had grown so used to the intricate patterns to finish the task at hand that I could perform them blindfolded.

"Practicing," I answered, never missing a twist as I worked. She was just so _distracting_. The syrup sweet scent of her breath. The way her breasts pressed into my back as she wrapped her arms around me. I don't think she ever realized just how much her presence affected me, and after years of practice, my reactions grew easier to hide.

"Practicing for what," she'd ask, drumming the tips of her fingers against my hipbones. It grew hard to concentrate and even harder to breathe as I fought to focus on the simple task.

"Well… this is a handcuff knot. It's used to bind prisoners for safety," I explained, pulling the final loop through and cinching it shut. I tugged on both ends of the rope, making sure I'd secured the knot correctly.

"Handcuffs? When do you think you'll ever need those," she inquired. All I could think was to shrug.

"Whenever we need to restrain someone," I offered.

Interactions like those never lasted long whenever I took up a new hobby. Nora would quickly grow accustomed to it and once all of her questions were answered, she'd watch patiently for hours. For as long as I practiced, whenever I practiced. Years went by and my aptitude for tying knots grew, the ropes I used grew more and more versatile and the ties ever increasingly intricate.

"Renny?" I looked down into my lap, meeting bright jade eyes that were gazing so reverently up into my own.

"Yes, Nora," I asked softly, my gaze drifting down to meet hers before shooting back up to the knot in my hand.

"Is that the handcuff knot," she asked curiously, finally sitting up to get a different angle. She placed her palms on my thigh to lean in closer, inspecting the knot as closely as she could.

"Yes. You remember it," I asked surprisedly. I knew she'd been watching me tie knots for years, but I'd never expected her to remember any particular knot's name or shape.

"Yup! But I don't think that it could ever hold anyone. If you tug hard enough there's no _way_ it wouldn't come apart," she declared.

"I hope not," I replied softly. In all truth I'd never tested any of my knots in the field. The opportunity had simply never presented itself. Grimm needed to be executed long before possibility of restraint, and the team had yet to come across any human perpetrators.

"Let's test it," she declared, a burning twinkle in her eye that I'd long since grown to associate with unbridled enthusiasm. I knew better than to question her resolve, pouting and annoyed reaffirmation were all that would follow from doing so. When Nora Valkyrie claimed she wanted to do something, she meant she wanted to do it with every fiber in her being. Who was I to deny her?

"Which knot would you like to test," I inquired, setting the length of rope and down in my lap as I spoke.

"Well, we need to test the handcuff knot, of course! Isn't that your favorite?" She leaned closer to me, nuzzling into my chest and taking a playful bite. She was in an odd mood today, but I couldn't exactly place it. Even after nearly two decades together, she never ceased to surprise me.

"Well, it's the one I'd need most. Unless we had a boat. But if we're paired with team SSSN again…"

"Well? Test it!" She quickly sprung up, kneeling beside me excitedly as she held out her wrists. Her fists were closed tight, palms facing one another. She was extraordinarily eager.

"Close your eyes," I asked gently. I wasn't sure _why_ her watching me made my hands begin to tremble, but there were a myriad of things about Nora Valkyrie that made my heart ache.

"Okidoki!" She bounced excitedly, rocking back and forth as she waited for me to begin. But as her eyelids fluttered, I knew she was peering through her lashes, hoping to catch glimpses of my performance. Her mind raced miles per second, and it was a constant battle to stay ahead of her.

"Eyes, _cloooosed_ ," I breathed, pressing my forehead against hers. I took her hands and pulled them into my lap, hoping she'd understand the seriousness of my tone. Her head cocked slightly to the side, lips pursed as if she were just on the precipice of spoken word. Her breath caught in her throat, eyelashes fluttering before she squeaked in exasperation, screwing her eyes shut and biting her lower lip.

"Was that so hard," I asked playfully. I ran my hands along hers, opening her palms and running my fingertips along the lines and callouses that adorned them. They were warm and wet.

" _Nervous?"_

"Nora, I'm not going to hurt you… if you don't want to-"

"Renny, just _do_ it," she groaned, her lower lip forming a pronounced pout. I could tell she was serious, for some reason she was desperate to know if she could escape my knots. I was sure she could- she _could_ bench five times her weight after all. This exercise was… curious.

I hummed to myself as my fingers gripped the rope. Three-quarters of an inch thick and smooth to the touch. I hated the way rougher twines felt beneath my fingertips, so I always made sure to purchase the smoothest I could find. Over, under, around and through, the movements came without much thought, even mirrored as they were while performing them on Nora.

A gasp and whimper as my fingers brushed against her wrist. She still seemed nervous. Agitated, almost. There was something she was attempting to hide bubbling beneath the surface of her facade.

" _She wanted to talk_ ," I thought to myself with a heavy sigh. Nora would often engage me in some activity, only to talk about something that'd been bothering or intriguing her. I was normally more perceptive to her moods and needs… at least, I _tried_ to be. I'd dropped the ball this time.

"Now that I've got you trapped… do you have any last words?" My voice took on a dramatic tone, cartoonishly sinister as I tightened the knot. She gasped as the rope squeezed her wrists, and her eyes opened quickly, dark emerald and wavering gaze as she held mine.

"Um… I… I…" Her voice wavered as she stammered. Blood ran flush against her cheekbones, tinting her flesh a light pink I was sure she'd be partial to.

"I- I _**THINK I LOVE YOU, OKAY?!**_ "

My fingers paused for only a moment. My heart fluttered the quickest of beats against my chest before she continued.

"I know we've known each other _forever_ and I know that you practically _raised_ me after we lost our parents and _I know_ that you might not love me back but honestly _it's killing me_ to have to keep quiet for so long I think I'm going to _explode_! I _love_ you Renny, I love you so, so, so, _so_ much and sometimes I can't sleep at night because I don't know if you love me back and all this time I've just been trying to find a way to tell you- not that I don't like spending time with you, I _love_ spending time with you, which is one reason why I love you, I think- but you're just always so _quiet_ I can never tell what you're thinking and it's scary because I almost always know what you're thinking but I can't tell if you… well… like _me_ back…"

I'd never been… _great_ with words. Often I preferred to go without. There was just such finality in _action_ that made it preferable to me. Nora- _she'd_ always been about words. Spoken confidently before an attack or quietly as I braided her hair. And now she was spent, panting softly as she gathered her breath. There were tears in her eyes, but they never fell, she held them back like a damn against a raging river.

Leaning in close, I pressed my lips against her cheek. The kiss was short, sweet and chaste. I pulled away, slightly embarrassed to meet a smile that reached her eyes, cheeks as pink as the gloves covering her hands.

"Thanks, Renny," she sighed softly. She finally relaxed, her face pressing into my chest. As much as I _wanted_ to say how I felt, my lips just couldn't form the words. The fantastic, most lovable thing about Nora Valkyrie, is that she _understood_ what silence could mean. She understood what I'd meant to say, without my even having to say it.

"Would you… like me to untie you," I asked after what felt like an eternity, gazing into jade eyes. I watched her struggle for a moment, the muscles in her arms pulsing as she tried to break her bindings for a few seconds before finally giving up.

"Um… I kinda like it," she giggled softly.


End file.
